Reviews 8 - The Malta Comic Con

Incredible Hulk by Bruce Jones – reviewed by Raphael Borg

Comics, ReviewsJuly 27, 20210Comments

Bruce Jones' run on the Incredible Hulk is one of the more lauded runs on the character; I must admit, I have only laid hands on two arcs from the run, "Return of the Monster", collecting #34-39, & "Boiling Point", collecting Vol. 2 #40-43. These alone however paint a very good picture of the entire…

Shazam: The Seven Magic Lands reviewed by Raphael Borg

Comics, ReviewsJuly 20, 20210Comments

No-one reinvents mythologies like Geoff Johns; to me, by now, it is a given. Out of all of his books, however, the writing in Shazam: The Seven Magic Lands does slip into being blatant in what is being said rather than complex character writing. It does, however, in my opinion, serve the narrative, as it…

Avengers: Nights of Wundagore review by Raphael Borg

Comics, ReviewsJuly 14, 20210Comments

The classic tale "Nights of Wundagore" by John Byrne, David Michelinie, Mark Gruenwald and Steven Grant is a strange read in Avengers history, in that it exists between an approach of treating the Avengers as an organisation of like-minded individuals while also humanising them in ways that are believable and not too over simplistic. The…

Batman: Earth One reviewed by Raphael Borg

Comics, ReviewsJuly 12, 20210Comments

How do you reinvent a legend? While the origins of Batman have been told ad nauseam with varying degrees of success, Geoff Johns and Gary Frank's take on Batman's lore in Batman: Earth One is perhaps the most "real" of more recent takes, highlighting how much of a journey Bruce Wayne had to undertake to shift…

Ghost Rider : Return of Vengeance review by Raphael Borg

Comics, ReviewsJuly 3, 20210Comments

It is immensely difficult to pull off a story from a villain's perspective and make it work. It is extraordinary, however, that the character s own creator, in spite of it being a return that has been long-desired by fans such as myself, fails to make a one shot story for them and make them…

Avengers: Under Siege review by Raphael Borg

Comics, ReviewsJuly 2, 20210Comments

Although it is a very straightforward and standard tale in comparison to its peers, 1986's Avengers Under Siege storyline (Avengers #270-277) represented a reality of terrorist activity that was not unheard of during the 80s. At heart, that is what it is - a terrorist takeover of an important institution. Perhaps it represented an escapist…

Trinity review by Raphael Borg

Comics, ReviewsJune 22, 20210Comments

I must admit with all the buzz around Matt Wagner's Trinity when I was younger I expected something a little more along the lines of a reflection upon the relationship between DC's big three. It is by no means a bad read - it is, in fact, a swift read and keeps you engrossed all the…

Superman For All Seasons review by Raphael Borg

Comics, ReviewsJune 15, 20210Comments

Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale's "Superman For All Seasons" is best described, I believe, as a simple masterpiece. It doesn't try to be a grand story with sprawling action scenes or a mind-boggling thriller or a deconstruction of the Man of Steel. It is a simple retelling of a life, Clark Kent's early life as Superman…

Annihilation : Conquest review by Raphael Borg

Comics, ReviewsJune 9, 20210Comments

While the highlight of the original Annihilation event was probably the many tie-ins, I could easily say that the highlight to Conquest was the main story. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed some of them, but the ones I did were the only ones truly essential to the story - namely Quasar, which incidentally follows my…

Aquaman: Death of a Prince review by Raphael Borg

Comics, ReviewsMay 11, 20210Comments

I must admit I was rather disappointed going through this. While I in no way under normal circumstances find Aquaman or his world boring, I was ready to read something that took what it was dealing with a little more seriously. It strangely reminds me of Batman: A Death in the Family. They are alike…

Annihilation review by Raphael Borg

Comics, ReviewsApril 20, 20210Comments

A large part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe owes to the cosmic opera that is the original Annihilation event, orchestrated by Keith Giffen and co-written by various other artists and writers. Reducing the cosmic side of the Marvel Universe to a fight for survival, the Annihilation event is a true masterclass in event comics in…

Invincible Iron Man by Brian Michael Bendis review by Raphael Borg

Comics, ReviewsApril 20, 20210Comments

The first volume of the Invincible Iron Man by Brian Michael Bendis is not intrinsically remarkable, unlike other of his works such as Daredevil. While it is an easy read (I am currently at the mercy of a splitting migraine) compared to most comics out there at the moment, it suffers from very poor planning.…